They appeared well on their way to doing just that after outscoring the Hornets 28-19 in the opening period. But the Hornets, doing their best to play the role of spoiler, kept pace during a blistering second quarter that saw each side tally 29 points.

Once New Orleans started chipping away at Brooklyn's lead in the third quarter, the Nets needed a spark—like an I-can't-believe-he-just-did-that-to-his-brother kind of spark.

Nets point guard Deron Williams used a sweeping crossover to get himself deep into the paint. On cue, he spun around and whipped a pass to Brook Lopez near the top of the key.

Lopez has a strong enough mid-range game where he could have let it fly on the catch. Instead, he opted to take the pass in stride, using one dribble to bring him face-to-face with his twin brother, Hornets center Robin Lopez.